Gemma Arterton Interview

I hear you had to endure a lot of training for Clash of the Titans. How do you handle the physical demands the studios put on you in movies like Clash of the Titans and Prince of Persia?

Gemma Arterton: The way I rationalize it is it’s like putting on a fake nose or a wig. If the movie requires you to look athletic, because you’re an athletic character who runs around a lot, then be athletic. If you have to be big and fat, then be big and fat. In Alice Creed, I’m actually a lot more voluptuous than I am now and that was fine. If it’s necessary then do it.

Do you ever take issue with how a studio takes a natural beauty like yourself and dolls you up to look like something else entirely?

GA: Not really. It’s interesting for me to always make myself look very different. Actually, it’s great because it means nobody ever recognizes me. Also, it means that I’m not going to get typecast with the same look. I actually feel it’s quite a blessing. So, I love it when they slap on the old slab. When I watch myself in movies I go, “My God, it doesn’t even look like me.” But that’s a good thing.

Do you feel like all the extra make-up, workouts and lavish costumes are just part of the performance in a studio movie?

GA: Yeah. When you do a blockbuster-type movie it’s not like making this type of movie (referring to Alice Creed). It’s a different kettle of fish. It’s popcorn. It’s like pop music and rock music. This sort of movie (like Alice Creed) is Radiohead. And then those (studio) movies are like Guns & Roses. And they’re equally as valid. It’s just different.

How did you get involved in Alice Creed?

GA: I got sent the script from the casting director, who was an advocate of mine. She said, “You should read this because it’s very different to what you’ve been doing recently.” And I loved it. At first I didn’t. In the first 10 pages I was like, “There’s no way I’m going to do this.” And as the film progresses, it becomes very interesting. So I really loved it.

I had to audition (for director J Blakeson), who told me a few months later that when the casting director suggested me he was like, “No, I don’t think she’s a good enough actress.” He had only seen me in what I’ve done, so he didn’t know what I could do. And why would he? So when I went into the audition, he offered me the part on the spot. And I was thrilled because I felt I really needed to do a film like this.

Why?

GA: I needed to challenge myself. I got a bit frustrated because I didn’t feel like I was pushing myself hard enough. I wanted to check that I could act. And I was in danger of becoming typecast. There is so much more I wanted to do. So many different roles I want to play. It was important for me to do a movie like this so I could challenge the audience and hopefully get different work. And since making this movie, that has happened. I’m starting to get all different types of roles coming to me now.

Your character, Alice, seems to really think on her feet, and act like a real British heroine, one that we don’t really see that often in American movies.

GA: People ask me, “Would you be like her?” And I always hope I would be, because she doesn’t really stop. She’s got this real drive. I don’t know if it’s got to do with British women. But we generally are quite headstrong and feisty.

You’re character endures a lot of terrifying acts of cruelty. Was your performance improvised from being in such environments or did you rely more on preparation from the script and backstory?

GA: If I grabbed you by the neck (she hurls herself toward the interviewer’s neck) and put a knife to your throat, you’d probably forget what you had for breakfast or where you grew up when you were 5. You’d just be thinking about getting out of the situation.

Some of the torture you go through in the movie is really hard to watch even for a man. Was it hard for you to portray those scenes?

GA: It was more awkward for the boys than it was for me, because I had prepared myself for it. As soon as I read the script and said I want to do it, I started preparing myself for all of that stuff. Whereas the boys, they didn’t know what they were going to feel until they were there.

For a guy to tie a girl up, abuse her, cut her clothes off, and watch her -- and they were gentlemen in real life -- that’s really hard. They actually found it really, really hard to do. They just felt that they were disrespecting me. But actually, I was the one who was the most empowered in the making of that film. If I said stop, it would stop. If I said go, it would go. I could command the set in a way. Whereas they were very careful and treading on eggshells. On set it was a very different dynamic to how it was in the film. There were scenes that (costar) Martin (Compston) found really disturbing and he actually had to leave the set because he couldn’t deal with it. Where as I was going “It’s fine.”

How do you feel watching the film, after the fact, as a female audience member?

GA: The way the film’s been received, women have actually been more enthusiastic about the film, I find, which completely shocked me. I thought I was going to offend all women. They seem to feel that it’s empowering. They admire the bravery. Whereas men find it awkward to watch.